Turkey accuses E.U. officials of bias over Netherlands row

Mar 14, 2017, 6:19 AM EDT

(Source: UNSOM Somalia/flickr)

Amid a diplomatic meltdown with the Netherlands, Turkey’s foreign ministry accused top E.U. officials of selectively exercising democracy following the bloc’s appeal that Ankara should refrain from making excessive comments on the row. The ties between the two N.A.T.O. allies flared to a new low after the Dutch barred Turkish ministers from campaigning among the Turkish expatriates for a referendum.

The Netherlands, which goes to polls for a general election on Wednesday, cited security concerns to block the Turkish rallies, however, Ankara hit back by slapping an entry-ban on the Dutch ambassador along with scrapping high-level political talks, writes The BBC.

The accusation comes hours after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed the Dutch government for its “Nazism tendency,” notes The Guardian. The standoff also appears to derail Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union, a process that has stretched for over 50 years now.

Some experts believe that Erdogan is using the crisis to reassure Turkish people of his strong leadership and inflame nationalist passions in the run-up to the referendum, which would significantly boost his powers.